Don't mention slavery..

[Gob]

I did once, but I think I got away with it..

Comedy legend John Cleese had his microphone confiscated at the South by Southwest festival during a comedic discussion in which he suggested Italy and France owed historic reparations for enslaving Brits.



The Monty Python icon, 82, was riffing with other comics in front of the crowd in Texas when he talked about the 'competition' between cultures over who has been more oppressed by colonisations throughout history.

Pointing to world history being 'a history of crime', he added: 'It's a history of people who were stronger beating up people who were weaker and it's always been that. It's deeply, deeply distasteful.


'But to pretend that one lot were worse than another – you do know the British have been slaves twice, right?

Cleese explained: '[People] get competitive about this business of being oppressed. We were oppressed, the English, by the Romans from about 0 to 400.'

Despite the event being labelled a 'comedy panel', his remarks sparked horrified reactions and an awkward environment for those in attendance.

At one stage Cleese even had his microphone confiscated by American comic Dulcé Sloan, who said she did it to 'save a comic whose career I respect', per The Hollywood Reporter.

'And now you saved the colonizer,' Pasternack said. 'I saved a comic whose career I respect,' Sloan fired back.

Cleese rebutted claims that the British Empire was the first to colonise communities from other states throughout his 90-minute performance entitled 'John Cleese in Conversation.'

The British comic insisted England was owed 'reparations' from both Italy and France, referring to the historic invasions of the Romans, and 1000 years later by the Normans under William the Conqueror.

'I want reparations from Italy', he told the stunned crowd. 'And then the Normans came over in 1066... they were horrible people from France and they colonised us for 30 years and we need reparations there too, I'm afraid'.

[Scooter]

Cleese rebutted claims that the British Empire was the first to colonise communities from other states

Strawmen are just so much fun to knock down, aren't they?

[Gob]

Watched it, did you?

[Scooter]

Didn't need to watch it to know that he is "rebutting" a claim that no one has made.

[BoSoxGal]

I found a few articles that detailed his comments more fully.

His general point is valid, but he’s just being obtuse about the comparison of society 1600 years ago versus society 60 years ago.

Yes, the most recent victims are more shocking because we have known better for a very, very long time.


That said I understand fully Cleese’s discomfort. I feel it myself. I don’t believe that JK Rowling is transphobic and I’m sick of cancel culture, especially involving people who clearly are well intended but maybe not as fully evolved as certain other people would like. Also, there needs to be room for very distasteful speech or free speech dies - doesn’t it? Been listening to Ira Glasser interviews recently and that is definitely his opinion.

[ex-khobar Andy]

Is slavery a bad thing? Yes.

Are many Blacks in the US still suffering the lingering effects of slavery? Yes.

Are reparations due? Yes.

Was slavery the way of the world for successful societies for most of human history? Yes.

Should we tear down the pyramids of Giza and elsewhere because they were built by slaves? Monticello? The White House? I don't think so.

The British being owed reparations by Italy and France is what is known as satire. Monty Python were once considered pretty good at it. What have the Romans ever done for us?

[Gob]

Didn't need to watch it to know that he is "rebutting" a claim that no one has made.

Ah, so, what are next week's lottery numbers?

[Crackpot]

Evidence she’s the pyramids of Giza were not likely built by slave labor

[Big RR]

Also, there needs to be room for very distasteful speech or free speech dies - doesn’t it?

That's always been my belief.

[Bicycle Bill]

Is slavery a bad thing? Yes.

Agreed.

Are many Blacks in the US still suffering the lingering effects of slavery? Yes.

Perhaps, perhaps not.  Otherwise what has all that money that has been spent on busing, school integration, and affirmative action programs been going for?  Personally, I think too many blacks in this country have bought into — or been conned into — the idea that nothing is their fault due to the evils of something that ended over 150 years ago, and are sitting back and waiting for the sky to open up and shower them with free food, fine housing, fast cars, and sleazy women.

Are reparations due? Yes.

Strongly disagree.  See the above remark with regard to federal funding to mitigate the effects and attempt to level the playing field.

However, If one truly believes that reparations are still due modern-day blacks, then where are the reparations for the descendants of the Irish, Chinese, and other immigrants of various ethnic groups who took their turn holding the dirty end of the stick during the 1800s, or the German-Americans who were vilified during WWI to the point of being forced to Anglicize their names to mask their origin, or the Japanese-Americans — some of whom are still alive! — who were deprived of their property and interned during WWII merely because of their appearance?

Or better yet, how about reparations to the descendants of all the women who were treated as non-persons, mere brood-mares whose sole purpose was to get married and provide children and domestic labor to the "master of the house", and were denied the right to even vote for the first 100 years or so of this great country of ours?

Was slavery the way of the world for successful societies for most of human history? Yes.

Again, agreed.  And not just the successful societies.  It is safe to assume that just about every society that had the ability at some point in time to enslave another group based on ethnic origin, race, or class has done so.  And that also includes the pre-slavery African kingdoms as well as the Native American tribes and clans — e.g., the Aztecs and the Incas — in the pre-Columbian/Spanish conquistadore period.

-"BB"-

[BoSoxGal]

Fun fact: There are more people in slavery today than at any other time in history. More than 40 million people around the world were victims of modern slavery in 2016, including about 25 million in forced labour, and 15 million in forced marriages.

[ex-khobar Andy]

Are many Blacks in the US still suffering the lingering effects of slavery? Yes.

Perhaps, perhaps not.  Otherwise what has all that money that has been spent on busing, school integration, and affirmative action programs been going for?  Personally, I think too many blacks in this country have bought into — or been conned into — the idea that nothing is their fault due to the evils of something that ended over 150 years ago, and are sitting back and waiting for the sky to open up and shower them with free food, fine housing, fast cars, and sleazy women.

I'll ignore the weird comment about fast cars and sleazy women.

But have you never heard of redlining and Jim Crow which are realities of our lifetime, not something Lincoln signed away in 1863? That's what I meant by the 'lingering effects of slavery.'

[Gob]

For over 300 years, the coastlines of the south west of England were at the mercy of Barbary pirates (corsairs) from the coast of North Africa, based mainly in the ports of Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli. Their number included not only North Africans but also English and Dutch privateers. Their aim was to capture slaves for the Arab slave markets in North Africa.

I demand some money, lots in fact...

[BoSoxGal]

I'll ignore the weird comment about fast cars and sleazy women.

Then you’re ignoring the racism, which generally precludes a person having the capacity to see any of the facts you attempt to present into the conversation.

[Sue U]

The British being owed reparations by Italy and France is what is known as satire. Monty Python were once considered pretty good at it. What have the Romans ever done for us?

Romanes eunt domus!

As for the French, if it weren't for the Norman conquest, you lot would still be speaking German.

[Big RR]

Romanes eunt domus!

Sure, but it took some time before they did.

you lot would still be speaking German.

Well, they do have German monarchs.

[Bicycle Bill]

I'll ignore the weird comment about fast cars and sleazy women.

Then you’re ignoring the racism, which generally precludes a person having the capacity to see any of the facts you attempt to present into the conversation.

It isn't a white woman who is best known for a raunchy song bragging about her wet-ass pussy.

Don't mind BSG.   She's got only two usable cards in her hand, and this time she chose to play the 'racism' one.

-"BB"-

[Big RR]

It isn't a white woman who is best known for a raunchy song bragging about her wet-ass pussy.

You mean Miley Cyrus isn't white? I sure thought she was. Ditto for Britney Spears.

[Bicycle Bill]

You mean Miley Cyrus isn't white? I sure thought she was. Ditto for Britney Spears.

If you think either one of these two skanks are Miley or Britney, you'd better apply for some dark glasses, a white cane, and a guide dog.
(for the record, the one on the left, about to fall out of her top, is Cardi B; the other one is apparently some gender-confused bitch who calls herself Megan Thee Stallion, as in a male stud horse ... and I won't even bother going into her apparent lack of spelling skills)

-"BB"-

[Big RR]

I could show you similar photos of white singers, Miley and Britney included; so what? You know you're getting old when you have to bitch about those "Damn skanks", just like the damn longhairs of decades past. Sex sells in music now, and many singers play the game to stay popular. But I guess you only object when they're black?